Archive for April 2012

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Destinations (41)

  • Polar Traverse, In Reverse

    The Arctic season is, by most measures, over. Every ski expedition from land—concluding with Norwegians Mads Agerup and Rune Midtgaard—has been aborted.  April 22 was the cut-off...

    By Peter Koch Read More

  • Mountain Classics, Then And Now

    This spring, The Mountaineers Books will re-publish two of the great adventure stories of all time, The Mountain of My Fear and Deborah, by David Roberts, in...

    By David Roberts Read More

  • Your First Time Kayaking Slideshow

    Aires by Kokatat; $100 This hybrid PFD offers the best of both worldsaccommodating paddlers with long and short torsos alike. Other high-back designs can tend to ride up...

    By Chris Lesser Read More

  • How To Survive: Snakebite!

    The most important thing to keep in mind with all wild animal encounters, including snakes, is they're just as scared as you are. Give a snake space...

    By Peter Koch Read More

  • How To Survive: Flash Floods

    The desert is really dry. Except, of course, when it's not. During canyon country's summer rainy season, storms sometimes blow up suddenly and drop buckets of rain...

    By Peter Koch Read More

  • The Secrets Of Baja

    Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.—Bruce BeresfordThe Baja...

    By Mark Stephens Read More

  • The Courage To Leave

    A little about the van. He got it for a steal, but I soon found out why... A little electrical work here, reupholstering some seats there... But,...

    By Mark Stephens Read More

  • One Man, A Thousand Stories

    I first became aware of Freddie Wilkinson in 2009, when Ed Viesturs and I were writing K2: Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain. The...

    By David Roberts Read More

  • The One-Pot Gourmet

    You don't have to own a Top Chef-class RV to whip up a nice backcountry meal. With a little pre-planning, even backpackers can move beyond standard hobo...

    By Caitlin Giddings Read More

  • Man Vs. Cable Network

    The Discovery Channel has fired British survival expert Bear Grylls, the gregarious host of the network's Man Vs. Wild show. "Sources say the network has been unable...

    By Chris Lesser Read More

  • Your First Time: Kayaking Gear

    The great thing about kayaking is that it's a one-time investment. No lift tickets and no (or relatively few) day passes are required. Just get out the...

    By Lila Menzies Read More

  • The Dark Side Of Surf Party Culture

    How much do you know about Hawaii? Besides the Seven Mile Miracle, I mean. Besides Pipeline and Waimea Bay. Besides the Volcom house, the Billabong house, and...

    By Tetsuhiko Endo Read More

  • That's Flippin' Awesome!

    Kimmy Fasani was the first female snowboarder to land a double backflip in the park and backcountry—a tremendous achievement in women's snowboarding. Since then she's focused on...

    By Monica Prelle Read More

  • Into The Heart Of Darkness

    Virgin rapids will soon be a thing of the past on Colorado's Gunnison River, thanks in part to the fearless exploits of a trio of Colorado kayakers....

    By Eugene Buchanan Read More

  • The 4 Best Snow-Finding Apps

    Minutes are precious on a powder day, and it's a shame to waste them waiting for the radio or television news to cycle through the snow report...

    By Sarah Stewart Read More

  • Review: Sealskinz Waterproof Socks

    My acrobatic skills might fairly be likened to an elephant's, and I'm certainly no gymnast, but I've done some impressive rock-hopping in the name of maintaining dry...

    By Kolby Kirk Read More

  • How To Train For A Long-Distance Hike

    There's a lot to do before any big, long-distance hike: buy gear, sort supplies, analyze maps and guidebooks, pack and plan mail-drops. But don't underestimate the importance...

    By Andrew Skurka Read More

  • GPS Is Overrated For Serious Hiking

    When you're driving in an unfamiliar area, nothing beats a good GPS system. But in the backcountry, a map and compass combination offers the most reliable and...

    By Andrew Skurka Read More

  • The Myth Of The Waterproof Shoe

    If you're backpacking in wet conditions—prolonged rain, dew-soaked grass, melting snow, un-bridged creek crossings, high humidity—your feet will get wet. And "waterproof" shoes just won't cut it....

    By Andrew Skurka Read More

  • How To Survive: Thunderstorm

    You're smart, which is why you checked the weather before hitting the trailhead. Problem is, you got beta for the nearest town, which is in a valley,...

    By Peter Koch Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Everest Basecamp

    Trek: Everest Base Camp Trek—Lukla to Everest Base CampDestination: NepalDistance: 70 miles, 16 daysDifficulty: StrenuousArguably the greatest of all high-mountain journeys, this stroll through Nepal's Khumbu district...

    By Lisa Hoehn Read More

  • Late Bloomers

    Let's face it: The main reason we love stories of late-blooming superstars is we'd all like to think there's some latent talent tucked away inside us, just...

    By Caitlin Giddings Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Tasmania

    Trek: Bay of Fires—Stumpy's Bay to Bay of Fires LodgeDestination: Tasmania, AustraliaLength: 16 miles, 2 daysDifficulty: ModerateFrom the start in Mount William National Park to the finish...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Grand Canyon

    Trek: Grand Canyon—Rim to Rim to RimDestination: Arizona, USALength: 44 miles round trip, 5-7 daysDifficulty: StrenuousA natural feature big enough to be seen from space, the Grand...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Arctic Sweden

    Trek: KungsledenDestination: Arctic SwedenDistance: 70 miles, 5-7 daysDifficulty: ModerateIn extreme northern Sweden, well inside the Arctic Circle, hides the last genuine wilderness in Western Europe. This is...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: McGonagall Pass

    Trek: McGonagall PassDestination: Denali National Park, AlaskaDistance: 38 miles, 5-6 daysDifficulty: Moderate with potentially difficult river crossingsSo much of the backcountry in Alaska remains in a pristine...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Fitz Roy Grand Tour

    Trek: Fitz Roy Grand TourDestination: Argentine PatagoniaDistance: 36 miles, 4-7 daysDifficulty: EasyThe iconic profile of the Fitz Roy group—a monumental ascending ridge formed by the rock spires...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Mount Rainier

    Trek: Mount Rainier, Wonderland TrailDestination: Washington State, USALength: 93 miles, 12-14 daysDifficulty: ModerateRising from its lowland valleys like a vision, looking in fact like a paper mâché...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Petra Kingdom

    Trek: Through the Back Door—Dana Reserve to PetraDestination: Kingdom of JordanLength: 50 miles, 7 daysDifficulty: StrenuousPetra is on everyone's bucket list, but arriving through Jordan's desert wilderness...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • The World's 10 Best Hikes: Kalalau Trail

    Trek: Kalalau TrailDestination: Kauai, Hawaii, USALength: 22 miles round-trip, 3-5 daysDifficulty: StrenuousThe 11-mile long Kalalau Trail provides the only foot access to the spectacular Na Pali Coast...

    By Peter Potterfield Read More

  • Final Words On Cerro Torre?

    Fat chance. Still, when two climbing legends—Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and American Alpine Journal editor Kelly Cordes—add their voices to a mountaineering debate, it's probably worth listening....

    By Peter Koch Read More